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Esmonde Ontario

Esmonde Ontario was a small settlement that sprang up along the Opeongo Colonization Road along the Ottawa River in to the Madawaska Highlands in the mid 1800s. Like many towns along the Colonization Roads, it was meant to be a farm town. Unfortunately the land proved to be unsuitable to farming and played out quickly, so settlers turned to timber.

At it’s height Esmonde had a population of 25 people. But they built a saw and shingle mill, a school and both and Anglican Church and an Roman Catholic Church. When the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway (which became the Canada Atlantic Railway,) opened in 1893 traffic along the Opeongo Colonization Road disappeared totally. This finally killed the town completely.

Today, the Roman Catholic Church still survives and is in use. Other notable buildings are the former town hall, now a community hall, and a small selection of farm buildings. If you have pictures of the church, or the statue in front of it, please post them below!